Leon Edwards Retains Welterweight Title Against Colby Covington

British mixed martial artist, Leon Edwards defeated Colby Covington at the UFC 296 in Las Vegas to retain his welterweight title.

Ahead of the bout earlier today, December 17 (late on Saturday night in the United States), Leon Edwards was sharply jeered by the crowd as he made his way to the octagon, but he seemed comfortable as he sang along to his walkout song.

As the British fighter entered the Octagon, chants of “Colby, Colby” reverberated throughout the arena as he pushed forward, feinting and landing leg kicks over the next twenty-five minutes.

The supporters were increasingly agitated with Edwards’s inaction, roaring and screaming “Come on, do something” as he forced Covington to play defense and bide their time until an opening presented itself.

The winner quickly got back up when Covington suddenly came to life halfway through the bout and sent Edwards to the ground in an attempt to knock him out.

Even though Edwards’ leg kicks had seriously affected him, Covington continued to apply more pressure to his punches, possibly thinking he was down two rounds.

Covington kept trying to knock his British opponent down in the closing rounds, and he was successful in a couple of them, but Edwards was always able to get back up fast and regain the upper hand.

When the final bell rang, both fighters held their arms up, appearing certain of victory, but Edwards was rightfully declared the winner.

Edwards’ winning streak now stands at 12, one less than George St Pierre’s welterweight record of 13.

After the fight, Leon Edwards angrily reprimanded Covington for his offensive comment in the lead-up to the fight about the late father of the British fighter.

“This guy used my dad’s murder as entertainment,” Edwards said.

“It took a lot for me to calm down. I spoke to my mum and my team and shut it all down.

“After the press conference, I was crying backstage because of the rage. You can’t use my dad’s death.”

On his victory, he added, “I know I’m the better athlete but they kept going on about cardio so I wanted to match the cardio.

“I wanted to grapple with him. I’m a mixed martial artist, so I wanted to come out here and prove my case.

“I feel like I was the much better athlete and technician. He’s good, a great competitor but a dirty human being.”